Pheasant and Partridge Chick Shortage

[the village idiot]

10 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I can't remember the last time I saw an English Partridge around these parts.

Not that far from you Eggs.

 

[eggsarascal]

1 minute ago, the village idiot said:

Not that far from you Eggs.

 

Lovely, could you show them the way to Sudbury? I'm sure they are about here, but I haven't seen any for a good while.

[Billhook]

54 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

I can't remember the last time I saw an English Partridge around these parts.

Same here 

 

[Paddy1000111]

Not late enough in the year for shoots to buy pheasants yet. I've not seen any pheasant chicks minus the ones bought for the shoot minus the odd nest

[the village idiot]

10 hours ago, eggsarascal said:

Lovely, could you show them the way to Sudbury?

Exchanged a couple of tweets with Alan.

 

He says he would not been seen dead in Sudbury. Apparently it's considerably more noble to be blasted out of the more salubrious skies over Hadleigh.

[oldwoodcutter]

My woodyard is neighboured by a heavily keepered estate , specialising in english partridges.

I was passing the time of day last week with one of the young under keepers who was of the same opinion.

They (the keepers) spend all hours of the day and night clearing the vermin right up, but of course the kites,buzzards and marsh harriers are protected.

What ground nesting bird stands a chance to fledge a brood of chicks with these constantly patrolling the skies.

 

[difflock]

A touchy subject, but surely if estates intensively rear and release these "game" birds they are only encouraging "vermin" to feed on them, exactly as baiting ducks to a pond with free food.

So the more the estate breeds and feeds, the higher the predator nos.

It is simply an entirely unnatural situation.

On the other hand our few neglected and un-shot-over acres are "hooching" with wildlife, there being more than 1 Pheasant brood strutting about our front drive, this despite the un-shot or otherwise controlled Buzzards, many seen patrolling overhead, Foxes, we are surrounded by natural untended woodland(and a neighbour out the other side shoots dozens each year), and Badgers, with several setts within a 1/4 mile. 

All in natural harmony.

Marcus

Edited June 11, 2021 by difflock

[Stere]

Raptors  are apex predators that non doubt were many times more prevalent historically before habitat loss and human persucution ans  pop numbers will eventually reach some kind of equilibrum?

 

 

 

Deer on the other hand will  need constant culling as no Wolves.

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Stere

[Patrick goulding]

[Patrick goulding]

I seen them on my rounds today checking my Larson traps English and french partridges keep on sitting by this particular trap on a daily basis.  and I haven’t a clue why🤔 but today there was a Hen partridge with her young they was that small and well hidden I nearly stood on them. Great to see 😊 👍